


Fading Moonlight

by FleetingButterfly



Category: Cardcaptor Sakura, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: F/M, M/M, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-31
Updated: 2013-06-12
Packaged: 2017-12-13 12:28:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/824315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FleetingButterfly/pseuds/FleetingButterfly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When an attempt on Touya's life goes horribly wrong, and Yukito is taken in his stead, can Touya find his special person before it's too late?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I will try to update regularly. It also will contain some Cardcaptor Sakura events. I may decide to put in other Clamp characters.

A large crowd gathered before the main balcony of the royal palace. They talked in hushed, worried whispers and shot anxious glances towards the closed doors that hid the room's shadowed recesses. Those who had gathered became silent as the doors finally swung open.

Touya, his mouth set in a slight frown, emerged first. His dark royal robes swayed slightly in the gentle breeze as he moved towards the balustrade. Sakura followed him into the glaring desert sun and gazed down fondly at the assembled people. With his staff in one hand and his priest robes a pristine white, Yukito stepped forward, smiling reassuringly.

Touya glanced quickly at Yukito before focusing on the crowd. "I am aware that many of you are worried due to the recent attacks on our trading caravans and any travelers that leave the vicinity of the palace", Touya began, his voice steady and clear over the quiet audience. "Luckily, only minor injuries have been inflicted and small amounts of food taken so far." He paused, expression hardening.

"There is no need to be anxious. I have already sent several small groups to investigate and pinpoint the source of these crimes. These unwarranted attacks will be stopped before anyone is seriously wounded and any valuable cargo is stolen. When we uncover those guilty, they shall be justly punished." The young king stopped as cries of agreement and murmurs of relief and approval rose from the crowd.

"Great speech, Your Majesty." Yukito whispered encouragingly in Touya's ear. Frowning, Touya whispered back. "Yuki, I told you not to call me that when no one can hear us." Yukito laughed gently before smiling warmly at his friend. "To-ya then."

As Touya sent him one of his trademark smirks, he caught a flash of light at the corner of his vision. Turning instinctively, he managed to dodge the metal projectile that had been shot towards him. His upper arm stung painfully as the weapon left a long, shallow gash across it. Staggering back, Touya stared at the arrow that had lodged into the palace wall, its tip crimson with his blood. If he had been a few seconds slower, the arrow would have pierced his chest.

Below, the crowd erupted into screaming chaos.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Touya is attacked, but is saved by Yukito. Can he save Yukito now?

Although most of the crowd panicked and ran away towards the relative safety of their houses, several figures, four men and one woman, stayed put and turned their faces upwards towards the palace's balcony.

They all wore ordinary brown clothes, but strangely, they all had largely similar blank expressions and dull eyes. The woman was carrying a bow in one hand and had a slim quiver of arrows strapped to her back.

Their forms rippled before melting away. Where the emotionless illusions once stood, hooded masked figures in intricately decorated black coats waited, poised to assail the king. Each of the masks displayed a different animal's face, etched in startling detail and vivid color. A hawk, a serpent, a fox, a bat, and a cat leered up at the king.

Touya heard Yukito take in a shocked gasp of air as the assassins' magic fell away. Shifting to look at him, Touya saw that his friend had gone rigid, staring at the five figures with horror-filled eyes. 

The assassin bearing the white cat mask drew an arrow from her quiver and aimed at the balcony as the others leapt impossibly high and landed lightly on the balustrade. 

Sakura screamed as they drew long silver daggers and lunged towards her brother. Touya turned, about to dodge, but a sudden wave of nausea threatened to send him to his knees.

Abruptly, a semi-translucent golden barrier shot up between the attackers and Touya. When the four men slammed into it, bright sparks swarmed across their skin, leaving angry red burns. Crying out, the men collapsed, twitching and flailing, flashes of gold lingering over them and preventing them from getting back up.

Touya spun around and regretted it almost instantly. His head swam and and he resisted the urge to throw up. Doubling over, he kept a hand over his mouth as he waited for the momentary vertigo to subside. A sharp throbbing pain began to pulse in his temples as the dizziness faded. Gritting his teeth, he pushed past the discomfort and looked up.

Yukito stood, grim and determined, his staff planted firmly onto the balcony floor. Golden light eminated from his hands and swirled up the smooth, gilded surface of the staff. 

"Sakura, get inside and find the guards! I'll help Touya", the priest ordered in a strained voice. Sakura nodded and ran through the balcony's glass doors.

Suddenly, an arrow struck the magical shield. Yukito's bright magic crackled around its shaft, but the arrow slowly burrowed deeper into the barrier, its jagged tip glowing dark blue. The barrier paled gradually and the sparks of magic flickered out. The protective wall shattered, glimmering shards flying through the air before disintegrating into fine dust. The heap of previously immobilized attackers began to stir as Yukito's magic was broken.

Yukito let out a strangled gasp and fell to one knee, pale and sweaty. Touya stood shakily, swaying slightly, and took a faltering step towards his friend. The masked woman sent several more arrows speeding towards him. He tried to move out of range, but his head swam and his body refused to budge.

A sudden weight slammed into his side, knocking him out of the arrows' paths. Hitting the floor harshly, Touya cried out as the impact jarred his already pounding skull, eyes squinting shut against the pain. 

Forcing his eyelids open in an attempt to see who had pushed him out of harm's way, the king saw Yukito standing where Touya had been just moments before. Yukito swung his staff, releasing a violent gust of wind, and knocking most of the arrows out of the air. However, he still missed several of the deadly projectiles. 

One struck him in the shoulder and another thudded into the side of his thigh. Dropping his staff with a loud clatter, Yukito stumbled and collapsed, his mouth wide in a hoarse scream. Scarlet stains spread across his white robes and the balcony floor, as he succumbed to unconsciousness.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Syaoran, Kurogane, Fai, and Mokona make an unexpected visit and manage to drive the attackers away. However, they are unable to save Yukito.

"YUKI!"

Any pain was pushed forcefully to the side, and Touya staggered to his feet. However, before he could run to Yukito's side, the cat-masked woman jumped from the ground, flying impossibly high, and landed softly beside the injured priest.

Yukito was breathing shallowly, his chest rising and falling erratically. Beads of sweat were gathering on his ashen pale skin, and his face was twisted slightly with agony. Blood was beginning to pool beneath him, staining the woman's hands and clothes a sticky scarlet as she lifted the limp body by the front of his robes.

"Oh, how sweet", she crooned, one hand tilting the priest's lolling head towards her. "You're quite the hero, sacrificing yourself for the king." Her companions had finally recovered from Yukito's magical barrier, and stood slightly behind her with their long knives gripped tightly in their hands.

"However, he only delayed the inevitable." The woman's eyes glinted triumphantly behind her porcelain mask, as the other assassins crouched, preparing to leap.

Suddenly, the section of sky right above the balcony seemed to bend and drip downwards, forming a large glob of iridescent liquid. The droplet hung, colors swirling and glistening in the desert sun, suspended briefly between the assassins and their target. Then it burst, streams of dimensional material splashing through the air.

Syaoran, Kurogane, Fai, and Mokona were revealed. The adventurers were wearing the robes Sakura had given them, when they had defeated Fei Wang Reed about six months ago. Since the evil mastermind's defeat, the trio and the magical rabbit had returned only twice. Touya gritted his teeth as pain lanced through his skull again, causing him to stumble backwards with one hand gripping his head. Of all the times these four have dropped in, this has got to be the most convenient, he thought.

"Your Majesty! High Priest!" Syaoran cried, alarmed to find Touya defenseless and a wounded Yukito in the hands of the assailants. Drawing his sword, he whirled around to face the attackers. Kurogane pulled out Ginryuu, growling, and Fai also readied himself for battle, magic dancing and flashing at his fingertips. Mokona bounded over to Touya landing on the king's shoulder. "What happened?! Is Sakura okay?!" It cried in a high, anxious voice. Touya found himself unable to answer as a fresh wave of nausea made black spots gnaw at his vision.

The attackers hesitated, startled by the sudden arrival of the travelers. At the sight of an aggressive Kurogane and Fai's lethal magic, the woman backed up hastily, dragging Yukito with her.

The balcony doors were thrown open with a bang, and several armed palace guards ran through, weapons drawn. Sakura followed hurriedly, and gasped, hands flying to cover her mouth, at the sight of the captive Yukito and her unexpected friends.

The masked woman let out a frustrated huff of breath. They were definitely outnumbered. By the looks of the dark man with demonic red eyes and a feral grin coupled with the smiling mage commanding dangerous magical power, the assassins were hopelessly outmatched too.

The woman drew her own dagger out of a sheath strapped to her thigh. Holding the blade to the unconscious priest's neck, she ordered,"Don't move, or he dies." The travelers and the guards froze, eyes locked on the woman, unwilling to risk Yukito's life.

"Retreat", the woman called over her shoulder. Her partners complied immediately, magic flaring around their forms. They quickly faded into wispy black smoke before disappearing. She began to dissolve, still keeping the knife at Yukito's throat. "I'll be bringing him with me", she said, voice smug, as the priest began the become smoke too.

"No! Yuki!" Touya's desperate cry jolted the guards into action. Syaoran and Kurogane lunged forward as Fai's magic streaked towards the woman. With a mocking laugh, the woman vanished along with Yukito before anyone could stop her.

Touya could only watch helplessly as his best friend was stolen. When another surge of intense pain exploded in his head, he fell backwards, slumping against the palace wall, unconscious.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Touya must make a choice.

There was a comforting warmth draped over him, and he was lying on something soft. Was he... in a bed? Forcing his heavy eyelids open with a groan, Touya found himself blinking up blearily at the gold-embroidered, navy canopy of his bed. Bright sunlight streamed through the glass balcony doors of his bedroom, falling at just the right angle to burn his eyes. It must be past midday, he thought idly, turning over underneath the covers to shield his eyes.

"You're finally awake." The voice was light and cheerful, but clearly relieved. "Sakura-chan will be happy." Touya looked to his right, still quite groggy. The blonde mage was perched on a chair, his chin on top of his interlaced fingers. "The name's Fai, just in case you forgot", the man's blue eyes twinkled at the king as the wizard stood and stretched, spine popping as he bent forward and touched his toes easily.

Touya ran his hand through his tousled black hair, mumbling hoarsely, "What happened? I don't-". Suddenly, the memory of the attempted assassination and Yukito's kidnapping slammed into him.

"Yuki!" He sat up instantly, throwing the blankets off. His bandaged upper arm twinged painfully, and he winced, one hand flying up to grip it. "Don't move", Fai chided, gently pushing him back down and tugging the sheets back over him. "I know you're worried, but you won't be able to help anyone if you hurt yourself again. Now rest while I go get the doctor."

"But is Yuki...", Touya's throat tightened,eyes suddenly burning, before he could finish his question. Fai's eyes softened. "We'll explain everything after the doctor sees you, alright?" Touya could only nod mutely, too overcome by grief and worry, as the mage left his bedroom.

Yuki, please be alive... Touya's hands fisted angrily in his blankets. If those masked cowards hurt you at all, I swear I'll-

Suddenly the door flew open, and a flurry of flying hair and white skirts threw herself at him.

"Onii-san!" Sakura stopped just short of hugging him, which could possibly aggravate his injury even more. "I was so worried about you", the princess cried, her eyes shining with tears. "You didn't wake up for three days!"

"Three days?!" Touya exclaimed, shocked. In that amount of time, Yuki could be...

"Actually, it's only been three nights and two days." Touya looked up at the sound of a deep voice. Doctor Shuichiro, the palace physician, and his cheerful assistant, Kohaku, had followed Sakura through the door. The doctor was a tall, broad-shouldered man with short black hair. His chiseled features and dark eyes were set in their usual serious expression. Kohaku was just the opposite, slender and delicate, with wavy blonde hair that tumbled over one shoulder. Bright golden eyes sparkled expressively in the light.

Shuichiro managed to convince Sakura to wait outside with the travelers, as Kohaku diligently went through the process of checking Touya's temperature and unbandaging his arm for further inspection.

"How do you feel?", the doctor asked, bending close to the wound, and searching for any signs of infection. "Sleepy, and a little light-headed", Touya admitted, holding still for the examination. "Not very surprising", Shuichiro remarked,"Considering the amount of medication we dosed you with." Satisfied that the king was going to be fine, he handed his patient a glass of water.

Touya supported the cup with some difficulty, his grip weak on its smooth sides. Lifting the trembling cup to his mouth, he took a few tentative sips of the cool water. The doctor watched him, frowning slightly.

"The arrow you were shot with was tipped with a foreign poison. I'd never seen that particular type before, but it seems similar to snake venom", Shuichiro told the king as he wound the bandage securely around his arm. That explains the dizziness and the headache, Touya thought.

"Well, you seem to be healing quickly, but a few more days of bedrest wouldn't hurt", the physician said, helping Kohaku gather up the used bandages. Touya tried to protest,"But I need to-"

"Yukito-san would not want you to injure yourself again for his sake." Shuichiro pinned him with a stern look. "You still need to regain your strength after that poison." Touya bowed his head, knowing that the doctor was only being concerned for him, but still unwilling to let his best friend stay in the hands of the enemy for any longer.

"Your Highness...", Kohaku said softly, smiling at him understandingly. "If you go after him now and get hurt again, Yukito-san will be hurt more too. But if you wait and recover for a few more days, you can gather more information and heal completely. Isn't that right?"

The doctor's assistant stepped closer to Shuichiro, leaning against him and linking hands. "I understand that Yukito-san is important to you. And because of this, the decision is completely up to you."

Touya closed his eyes, considering both options carefully. He wanted to go now, but he wasn't strong enough to withstand a long journey, let alone save anyone. Yuki...please forgive me...

"I'll wait."

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Shuichiro and Kohaku left, letting Sakura and her friends into the room as they went. Sakura ran to the bed, sitting down on the chair that Fai had previously occupied. Syaoran followed at a slower pace, and placed himself beside Sakura, still standing. Touya did his best to send him an annoyed glare, which was met with an even look. Looks like the brat has grown up too, Touya thought, suppressing a smirk. Fai had draped himself, in a way that oddly reminded the king of a cat, over Kurogane's back. The ninja was currently attempting to shake him off.

"Get the hell off of me, mage!" He growled, red eyes flashing dangerously. "Watch your language, Kuro-daddy", Fai reprimanded cheerfully, still managing to cling on. "You're setting a bad example for the children!"

Kurogane snorted and finally peeled the blond limpet off his back, only to have the manju bun explode out of his clothes and into his face. Dropping the wizard, he began chasing the white rabbit around the room, shouting obscenities.

Ignoring the interesting scene, Touya turned towards his sister. He asked,"What happened while I was asleep?" Sakura bit her lip, obviously worried. "After they took Yukito，I sent people to search, but they haven't found anything." She fidgeted under Touya's stare before brightening. "But Syaoran found some people who said they know about the assassins. The couple were attacked by them while they were traveling."

"Where are they?" Touya was impatient to do something, anything, that could potentially help him save Yukito. There was a light knocking at the door. Sakura smiled,"That should be them."

"Come in", Touya called. The door opened.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A pair of travelers tell a story.

A young man was dragged in through the door by the ear by a very annoyed girl. Both looked around Syaoran's and Sakura's height and age. The girl's brown hair pulled into two ribbon-bound braids, one hanging on each side of her head. Her irritated brown eyes were fixed straight forward as she tugged strongly on the boy's ear. The young man had his eyes closed and his mouth stretched in a wide grin. Both had on the plain, modest cloaks that Clow's citizens wore whenever they traveled long distances in the desert.

Leaping up, Sakura hastily introduced them. "These are the travelers I was telling you about." The young woman stopped in front of Touya, giving the boy one last yank on his ear before letting go. Then she smiled innocently, curtseying prettily towards the surprised onlookers. The boy straightened himself, rubbing his ear sheepishly with one hand, before bowing to the king.

"Greetings Your Majesty, I am Yamazaki Takashi, and this is Mihara Chiharu, my lovely bride-to-be-", he began. "What did you say?! Stop lying!" Chiharu shrieked, grabbing his neck and beginning to throttle him, her cheeks blushing bright red at his words. The boy's eyes remained closed and his perpetual smile stayed firmly plastered on his face, despite his companion's violence.

After Chiharu had calmed down and removed her hands from his throat, Yamazaki coughed lightly before returning his attention back to his gaping audience. "And we are here this lovely afternoon to tell you a story... after a scrumptious dinner, of course!" This sparked another bout of strangling from an angry Chiharu.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
Setting down his empty glass, Yamazaki sighed dreamily. "That was delicious... did you know that in the ancient times, delicious food was considmmmph" Chiharu had reached over and stuffed a piece of bread in his mouth, effectively gagging him, muttering under her breath all the while.

Touya regarded the two with raised eyebrows. Dinner had been amusing, but tiring affair, with Yamazaki spouting colorful lies and Chiharu trying a variety of things to shut him up. Yamazaki got along splendidly with Fai, and both had Syaoran utterly bewildered with their increasingly wild stories. Chiharu chatted happily with Sakura when she wasn't busy trying to choke Yamazaki. Touya ate quietly, exchanging only a few words with Kurogane.

After the dishes were finally cleared away by the servants, Yamazaki cleared his throat loudly and began his tale. "Chiharu and I are traveling storytellers. We roam the desert, spreading our marvelous words everywhere for some coin, a warm meal, or even just a drink. Actually, we used to travel with another nice girl, Naoko. She was quite fond of scary stories, and was great at making them up on the spot. But we parted ways a little while back. It's really too bad, she made excellent ramen nood-"

"Yamazaki! Would you just get on with the story!" Chiharu was clearly frustrated, her hands twitching as she barely restrained herself from throttling him. "Anyways", the boy continued. "One day we met this other guy in a tavern. His name was Eriol, and he was with a girl and a strange cat. He was a great storyteller! I could tell it was the start of a beautiful friendship... so we decided to travel together for at least a little while."

Chiharu snorted, rolling her eyes. Ignoring her, Yamazaki went on,"But one night, after we had stopped to rest for the night, we were attacked by these masked and hooded people." Yamazaki paused, considering his audience with the gravest expression he could muster.

"They thought we were merchants, and wanted our money. Unfortunately, we had nothing to give them. They were going to kill us, but Eriol told them that he knew a story their leader would want to hear. The leader turned out to be a woman in a cat mask, and she was quite interested in what he had to say. He managed to convince her to let us go if his story had the information she needed."

"He told a far-fatched legend or maybe it was a fairytale. Something about guardians of Clow, and some kind of great magic. But the somehow the woman seemed to believe him. So we were released, but Eriol and his companions had to stay. We wanted to help him, but he smiled and said that everything would be alright." Yamazaki smiled again,"And then the next thing we knew, Chiharu and I were waking up by ourselves by the campfire."

Touya frowned. This Eriol could have useful information. "Can you remember the story?", he asked. Yamazaki nodded. "He said something about a special book hidden in the library of this palace. Only those of royal magic could open it. Inside the book dwelled two beings, guardians I think he called them, one of sun magic, the other of the moon. He said that the book's pages contained incredible magic."

Sakura leaned closer, confused. "But why attack Nii-san and not me? You don't have any magic, right?" The last question was directed at Touya. "Well, I do have some power. It's just not quite as active or concentrated as yours. It's more like a sixth sense", he answered. Turning back to Yamazaki, he inquired,"Do you know if Eriol is still with the assassins?"

Chiharu answered for him. "We havn't seen him since he saved us." She glanced out the window at the rapidly dimming sky. Suddenly becoming anxious, she began fiddling with her yellow hair ribbons. "I'm sorry we couldn't help more Your Highness, but Yamazaki and I need to get going. If we don't leave soon, we'll miss a close friend's wedding." Yamazaki jumped up,"Oh, I didn't realize it was so late! Rika-chan and Terada-san are getting married tomorrow, but in a different town. We have to hurry if we want to get there in time."

After thanking them and giving them enough supplies to last them the journey, Touya watched from his balcony as the two figures left the palace. It was already quite dark, but Touya could still see that they were walking arm in arm. Smiling slightly, he turned back towards Sakura and her friends.

Addressing Mokona, who sat on Kurogane's head, he said, mouth set in a grim line,"Can you get me in touch with the new shopkeeper? Watanuki was his name, right?"

Ignoring his sister's and the travelers surprised looks, he stared with determined eyes at the white bunny. "I have a wish."


End file.
